Self-locking pin.



W. B. WOODARD. SELF LOOKING PIN.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 25 1914,

1', 1 1 1,5 1 3, I Patented Sept. 22, 1914.

-FIG 1.-

WILLIAM n. wocnenn, or scnnnn'irnns, new sense ante-instants mine-is.

Patented Sept. '22,

To all whom it may cancem'i" Be it known that I, WILL'EAM E. WOGDIBBD, of Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady and State of New York, have invented a certain new. and useful Improvement in selfiLocking Pins, of which improvement the following is a, specification.

My invention relates to means forconnecting or holding together, two adjoining membersof a machine or other structure, partienlarly in cases where the capacity or relative movement of said members isto be pro- I vided, and where said members are subjected to jars or vibrations in service.

- he obyect of my invention is to provide a connecting medium which shall be readily manl'iaily a'ttachable to and detachable from the members to be connected, and which shall be exempt from liability to accidental or undesired detachment therefrom, Without necessitating the use of an independent device for that purpose.

The improvement claimed is hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a'view, partly in elevation and partlyiin longitudinal central section, of a self-locking pin embodying my invention, as applied in connecting two members of a structure; and, F ig. 2, a transverse section through the same, on the line a a of Fig. 1.

In the practice of my invention, I provide a pin, which is of cylindrical form, throughout the major portion of its length, and which is usually, though not necessarily, provided, at one end, with a head, i A plurality of flexible locking prongs, l", is formed on-th'e opposite end of the bolt, which may be done by boring it out at and adjoin ing said end, turning the periphery of the metal surrounding the bore into the form shown in section in Fig. 1, and cutting a plurality of longitudinal slots, 1 in the metal surrounding the bore, extending to or near the bottom of the bore. The pin is forged of suiliciently great diameter adjoin ing the end on which the locking prongs, 1",

are to be formed, to permit the prongs to project circumferentially beyond the body of the pin, that is to say, that its finished diametcr at the transverse plane of greatest thickness of the locking prongs shall be greater than the diameter of its body or bearing surface portion which passes through the members to bc connected. The locking prongs are. as clearly shown in Fig.

1, of triangular longitudinal section, and are inwardly inclined, in opposite directions, toward the bore, terminating, at their inner ends, 2'. 6., those toward the head of the pin,

on adiameter which is less than that of the bearing, surface portion of the pin which passes through the members to be connected. in other words, the inner ends of the locking prongs may be described as extending to, and terminating at, a circumferential groove, 1 in the pin.

As shown in the drawings, the ioclring pin above described is applied for the connection of an arm or link, A; to a bar or lever, B, having jaws on its end between which the arm, A, is fitted. The pin, 1, passes through, and fits freely in, the members, A and B, and is of such length that the inner inclined faces of the locking prongs, 1", will be in contact with the edge of the bore oi the ad joining jaw of the member, B, but without perceptible pressure thereon, when the pin is set in operative position. lhe locking prongs being, as shown, disposed in a circumferential series, form an end stop for the pin which encircles its axis and therefore bearsuniformly and with substantial continuity on the adjoining connected member. The pin is readily insetible into the, op

posite jaw, as the outer inclined faces of the locking prongs are pressed inwardly when entered into said-3am, and when the p111 has been moved in until its head comes into contact with said jaw, the locking prongs are.

released frtim the pressure of the opposite jaw upon them and spring outwardly beyond the bore of the jaw. thereby holding the pin in position against accidentalor undesired displacement. The pin may be easily re: moved whenever required, by inserting a pin or drift in the bore and pushing it out by pressure thereon, which forces the locking prongs inwardly and permits the Withdrawal of the pin.

Instead of boring out theend of the pin,

cure by Lettl .8 Patent:

by the plurality of locking prongs and circumferential groove enables the seperate cotter or split pin ordinarily employed to be dispensed with, and the circumferential roove which adjoins the locking prongs, inrther serves to prevent the formation "of a shoulder at the "endsof the prongs, and also prevents the concentration of the stress, resultant upon the bendin of the prongs at their ends, corresponding y reducing liability to breakage, I I

I claim as my invention end-o desire to se- '1.. A self locking pin having an e1 collapsible and eicpansible end, extengfrom its body or 'bearing'eiirfeoe end su t-,4

rounding scylindrical bore, its rnejor diiiineter at'its collapsibleend' ex'pansible end d 'being'greaterthiin that of its body and thereby providing an end stop which encircleslits axis, and its'minor diameter at said end being less than that of its "body.

2. A self locking pin 11min? a plurality of integral collapsible and se i expunsible lockin r prohgs extending from one end of.

its b0 yon bearing surface and surrounding a cylindrical bore, said locki prongs Inormally progleeting beyond the diameter of the body oit ein endproviding an end stop which enciro es its and inwardly terbniilating on a diameter less than that of the 0 y. cf

, 3. A self locking in having a plurality of integrnl eollapsib e and self expansible lo'ckin prongs extending from one end of its b y or bearing surface and surroundi g a cylindrical bore, and a circumferen ial groove ad'oining said locking pron and reducin t erigidity of'the end oj'z he pin, saidloc ing prongs being of t 'ngular sec- 40 tion and outwardly incline d from said groove to a. diameter greater than that of the body. I V

4 ,v .A--self locking pin having a, cylindrical bore adjoining one end of its body or bearing surface, the .pin being longitudinally, slotted throughout substantially the entire depth of the bore,-and being finished on the exterior thereof so as to form a pluralit of collapsible and self expansible loc ing prongs, which are of triangular longitudinal section and project normally beyond the diam'eter ofthe body, and terminate, at their inner ends, et at circumferential groove in t the body. 7

WILLIAM E. WOODARD.

' Witnesses Fm H, SAU'rnn,

Hnnvnr G. PmLrs. 

